An Iowa State professor and his research will be the subject of national attention tonight.

Brad Bushman, associate professor of psychology, will be appearing on ABC’s newsmagazine “20/20,” which airs at 9 p.m.

Bushman said his research on narcissism, self-esteem and aggression “sort of triggered the program.”

He said his research deals with the common assumption that people who have low self-esteem are more aggressive than people with high self-esteem.

“Our research found the exact opposite,” Bushman said. “The most aggressive people are those who have grandiose, inflated self-concepts.”

He said people with high self-esteem are more aggressive, but “only when they’re criticized.”

“[Our conclusion] flies in the face of the previous belief that if only we could raise self-esteem, we could solve every problem,” Bushman said. “Raising self-esteem is unlikely to reduce violence and in fact may increase aggression.”

Bushman is actually involved in two “20/20” programs. One will be shown tonight; Bushman is not sure when the second one will be aired.

Bushman said he filmed the interview the week before classes started in August. He said ABC’s John Stossel first came to Ames to interview him, and then Bushman flew to New York.

Bushman conducted his research with Roy Baumeister, a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

He said he was motivated to do the research because he wanted to refute a common misconception.

“I love to challenge prevailing beliefs that I think are wrong,” Bushman said. “This is just a myth that needs to be busted — that people with low self-esteem are the most aggressive.”

Bushman said for the first program, ABC News measured self-esteem in violent criminals.

“[The criminals’] self-esteem was much higher than college students,'” he said. “I think people are wasting a lot of money trying to raise self-esteem … if decreasing violence is their goal.”